Sunday, January 31, 2010

“No!” Gold shouted. He stretched out and launched himself at Boomerang. “What have you done to Tin?” He wrapped himself around the man, leaving only his head exposed.

Captain Boomerang smiled, despite the position he was in. “Can’t tell you, mate,” he said.

A crackle of blue energy caught in Gold’s peripheral vision.

“Iron! Watch out for Kadabra!” Gold shouted. But before the magic would reach him, Platinum had grabbed Iron by the arm and pulled him to safety. The energy ball sizzled through the air and then burnt a hole three feet wide into the ceiling. Platinum and Iron landed in a tangle on the floor.

But as Abra Kadabra raised his hands to conjure a better spell, the corridor suddenly went black, and everyone, human, robot, and half-tree, froze in place. At first Gold had thought it was an effect of the magician’s spell but he noticed Kadabra was frozen in place as well.

A point of light formed five feet away from Gold and then nearly enveloped the room like a very high-powered spotlight. Particles of mist swirled about in the light and then the silhouette of a man appeared and coalesced into the shape of a man in a dark blue cloak and hat.

He raised a white, gloved hand and addressed Gold. Gold felt, rather than heard his voice. If he were human and not a metal robot, he probably would’ve felt a chill down his spine as the stranger spoke.

“Gold,” the stranger intoned, “you are and your teammates are needed elsewhere.”

“I?” Gold asked.

The Phantom Stranger. Being awesome.

The man stared back at him. His eyes, pupil-less and almost glowing, stared back and through him. “Yes. And the rest of your team. Follow me. I am the Phantom Stranger.” He raised his hand and a breeze kicked up in the corridor. “First, I shall dispatch these hooligans.” He flicked his wrist and the Injustice Gang, still frozen in suspended animation, snapped out of the room in a whirl of mist. The Phantom Stranger turned to Gold and extended his hand. “Take my hand,” he said, “and you shall go where you are needed.”